MITRE Principal Software Development Engineer reviews

2.7

25% would recommend to a friend

(139 total reviews)
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Mark Peters

73% approve of CEO

8% positive business outlook

Principal Software Development Engineer employees have rated MITRE with 2.7 out of 5 stars, based on 139 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most Principal Software Development Engineer professionals have an average working experience there. MITRE is rated 26% below average by Principal Software Development Engineer professionals compared to other employers within the Government & Public Administration industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

139 reviews
4.0
Feb 4, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

In general, MITRE has challenging and interesting work. The work program is also relevant to our nation's many problems. These factors can lead to a very satisfying technical career at MITRE. The members of the staff have great technical depth and breadth, and can be a tremendous resource for a young engineer. Benefits are outstanding. Most of the first and second level managers provide strong support to work-life balance and flexible work arrangements.

Cons

Senior Managers seem disengaged from the workers; we rarely see managers at the Director Level or above. The company has recently developed very clear guidelines and rules for indirect charges, but consistently underfunds a indirect accounts at the department and division levels. This continues to contribute to time reporting issues. Some parts of the work program involve purely programmatic support that could easily be handled by a SETA.

2.0
Jan 18, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The best reason to work for MITRE is the opportunity to work on very interesting and important government issues. The work offers an inside view of government operations that few others have, including traditional consulting firms. The employees are well-educated and highly competent for the most part. The company encourages matrix management in order to get the right skills for each project and aims to highly collaborative in its approach. The company seems to truly encourage a work-life balance (in contrast to other organizations where management talks about balance but does everything in its power to discourage employees from pursuing any of the flexibilities offered). The retirement program is very good with generous matching and the funds are vested immediately. Vacation time is also generous--about 23 days of PTO per year. Staff can work at any time, at any location.

Cons

Unfortunately, of the all the talk of "working in the public interest" and offering objective opinions, MITRE staff are firmly in the pocket of agency management. There seems to be a genuine fear that failure to agree with agency managers will put the company's future in jeopardy. (And, admittedly, this may be true--however, honesty in the company's mission is desireable.) The organization is supposed to be flat and there appears to be little promotion opportunities for many people. (although I am told that annual increases are "generous") Many managers have gigantic egos and are unafraid of what they don't know. In addition, project management skills are lacking in many quarters. Upper management is invisible; the lack of a clearly articulated vision is extremely evident. The peer review process is a free-for-all which produces questionable benefits.

Viewing 136 - 138 of 139 Reviews

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